Meta claims allegations in latest social media addiction trial are 'unsubstantiated'

Meta is pushing back on claims made by several state attorneys general in its latest social media addiction trial, saying allegations it misled users about the safety of its apps and that the platforms' features harmed users are "unsubstantiated."

"The State AGs may call this a landmark case, but their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday. "The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account somehow harmed their residents, and attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges like age verification."

The company claims damages in this case could reach $1.4 trillion.

"Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout," the spokesperson said. "We stand by our record of creating strong protections for teens, and look forward to making our case in court."

The upcoming trial is set to take place in federal court in Oakland, California, and centers on a lawsuit filed against Meta in October 2023 in the Northern District of California by a bipartisan coalition of 29 state attorneys general. Four states, California, Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky, are arguing the case in federal court.

The lawsuit alleges Meta, the tech giant behind Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, has "harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens." It points to features like infinite scrolling and push notifications, alleging the company's apps were designed to get young users engaged on the platforms as long as possible.

The lawsuit also alleges Meta violated a federal online privacy law by "unlawfully collecting the personal data of its youngest users without their parents' permission."

The states are also seeking changes to Meta's apps for users under age 18, including removing infinite scrolling, video auto-play and "like" counts.

Jury selection began Wednesday, and opening arguments are scheduled to begin next Tuesday, Aug. 18. The trial is expected to last seven weeks.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri could be called to testify but no schedule has been set yet.

In a statement Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who spearheaded the initial 2023 filing, said in part, "One of my most important jobs as Attorney General is to protect our children from harm. Meta designed a dangerous product for young users, knew it to be dangerous, and then lied to children, families, and the community about how dangerous it was."

"We are ready to hold Meta accountable for its role in fueling the mental health crisis of American children and look forward to trial," he added.

This new trial comes less than a week after a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make changes to its apps, saying they contributed to a youth mental health crisis. Meta has said it will appeal.

Earlier this year, in a landmark trial in Los Angeles, a jury found Meta and YouTube, which is owned by Google, negligent in designing apps that harmed a now 20-year-old woman. The jury specifically found Meta and YouTube's apps -- specifically design features like auto scrolling, recommendation algorithms and notifications -- led the woman, then a teenager, to develop anxiety and depression.

Meta and Google said they would appeal the decision, with a Meta spokesperson stating at the time that it was "confident in our record of protecting teens online." A Google spokesperson said in a separate statement that the "case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site."

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